Note: For nine years, I have written the Unsung Heroes column during the season to bring attention to the people behind the scenes that help make some of the extraordinary things happen in the NFL on any given weekend. At the end of the year, the Unsung Hero of the Year is presented a trophy made in the name of Chip Myers, a longtime NFL assistant coach and former player who passed away just days after he was elevated to his first coordinator position with the Minnesota Vikings. Chip was well respected by everyone in the coaching ranks and embodied all the virtues assistant coaches need to be successful. He was humble, a good teacher, a loyal friend and a tireless worker.
With their dominating performance Monday night against a very good Jacksonville team, the Colts served notice that it's too soon to just hand New England the AFC crown. The talk is always about Peyton Manning, but I really must acknowledge the defensive coordinator for what the Colts have done on that side of the ball. Titans kicker Rob Bironas kicked an NFL-record eight field goals, but there is coach behind the scenes in Tennessee who needs a shout-out. Every sideline TV shot in Denver seems to be Mike Shanahan, yet there are two outstanding offensive assistants who need to be recognized. The Bears went on the road and beat the Eagles with a 97-yard drive at the end of the game. The audio unit in Brian Griese's helmet might have been broken, but it was the offensive coordinator who built the plan and no one mentions him ... but I will. And, finally, kudos to a couple of running back coaches who had their backups ready to go when the head coach called for them. Here are this week's Unsung Heroes:
1. RON MEEKS
Defensive coordinator, Indianapolis.
Coach Meeks works in the shadows of Manning and Tony Dungy, which is fine by him as long as the defending world champions play defense the way they did in their road win against the Jaguars on Monday night. Meeks, in his 17th NFL season, led a group of players that recorded a sack for a safety, two forced fumbles, nine passes defended and three sacks. The Jags scored seven points, had their quarterback knocked out of the game and helped the Colts complete a three-game sweep of division opponents on the road -- giving up a total of 51 points in those games. Last year, the Colts lost all three division road games. The most impressive trademark of Meeks' defense is team speed and hustle for 60 minutes.
2. ALAN LOWERY
Special teams, Tennessee.
Eight field goals in one game is the NFL record and Bironas deserves a ton of credit, but so do the snapper, holder and blockers. Lowery has been a great special teams coach for 26 NFL seasons and he's the one who puts the whole thing together. Beyond the field goals, Lowery's special teams averaged 24.3 yards per kickoff return, had a punt return for 22 yards (all without Pacman Jones) and the Titans held the Texans to five return yards on four punts.
3. RICK DENNISON (pictured) and MIKE HEIMERDINGER
Offensive coaches, Denver.
Sure, Shanahan walks the sideline with the big play-card and looks like he makes every Broncos decision. He would be the first to tell you that his righthand men are Heimerdinger and Dennison. These are the guys who work on the game plans, counsel from the booth and -- in the case of Dennison -- coach the offensive line. The Broncos beat the Steelers without their starting center, Tom Nalen, and their top wide receiver, Javon Walker. With Travis Henry limited in the game, the pressure shifted squarely to young quarterback Jay Cutler. He hit eight different receivers, went 7-for-10 on third downs, and moved his team 44 yards in seven plays for the game-winning field goal. As good as that drive was, it was earlier in the game that the efforts of Heimerdinger and Dennison jumped out at me when the Broncos offense went 79 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown in the third quarter.
4. RON TURNER
Offensive coordinator, Chicago.
The Bears were on the road, the defense was under the microscope and the offense was under the leadership of backup quarterback Brian Griese. In many ways, this team is a long way from its Super Bowl appearance a few months ago. Ron Turner lost something special when running back Thomas Jones left in the offseason. With a mediocre run game at best, Turner needed to develop a more extensive passing attack. He has since blended return specialist Devin Hester into the game plan at receiver. Against the Eagles, Turner's offense had four drives of 10 plays or more each. Three of those long drives led to scores and the fourth ended in a missed field goal. The 97-yard drive for the winning touchdown was a well-conceived plan by Turner and Griese.
5. GEORGE HENSHAW (pictured) and JIM ANDERSON
Running backs coaches, New Orleans and Cincinnati (respectively).
These two running back coaches had to dip into their depth charts and get backups to deliver on Sunday. Pierre Thomas was a significant factor in the Saints' win over the Falcons, while Anderson had Kenny Watson ready when the Bengals beat the Jets. Watson answered with 130 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
